Phone scammer poses as Craven County deputy

Sun Journal Staff

Wednesday

Jan 24, 2018 at 1:40 PM

The Craven County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about a scammer who is calling people and identifying himself as a Craven County deputy.

Over the past couple of days, the sheriff's office has received several calls about the phone scam, according to a release. In the scam, the caller claims some type of civil process has been issued and the person who answers the phone needs to pay a fee to avoid being arrested for failing to appear. The caller will often leave a call-back number that when called has a recorded voice that answers “County Sheriff’s Office.”

The sheriff's office reminds residents to never provide credit card numbers or other personal information without verification of the individual’s true identity and verified affiliation. Also, residents should not buy any Green Dot cards to pay these fees and never agree to meet at a predetermine location to pay these fees.

The sheriff's office does not call to tell people to pay a fee to avoid being arrested, according to the release.

If you need to verify the identity of a deputy, contact the Craven County Sheriff’s Office at 636-6620 or 633-2357.